10 rules for unincorporated Merced County, California.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Merced County, recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers may be stored only on property where the owner resides. Storage is allowed on a paved, graveled, or approved-surface driveway, with the front setback used only when no rear or side setback access exists, and units kept at least three feet from property lines.
Merced County's Unified Development Ordinance sets driveway and parking-surface standards. Under Section 18.38.140, required parking, maneuvering areas, and driveways in urban areas must be paved with asphalt or concrete, while agricultural-area surfaces are matched to vehicle, soil, and surrounding-use conditions. Drainage must also be provided on site.
Merced County Code Section 11.12.040 prohibits parking or leaving standing any commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more on a street in a residential district. Pickups, deliveries, and permitted-construction material delivery are exempt. The rule is adopted under California Vehicle Code Section 22507.5.
Parking on county-maintained roads in unincorporated Merced County is governed by Chapter 11.12 of the County Code. It is unlawful to park where the Road Commissioner has posted NO PARKING signs, and angle parking is allowed only in marked stalls. Most general parking rules otherwise follow the California Vehicle Code.
Unincorporated Merced County has no general countywide overnight on-street parking ban. Overnight parking is restricted only where the Road Commissioner has posted signs. California has no statewide overnight ban, but vehicles left on a highway for 72 or more hours may be cited and removed under Vehicle Code Section 22651(k).
Merced County's Unified Development Ordinance requires electric and alternative-fuel vehicle parking in new development. Under Section 18.38.150 and Table 3-11, the number of EV spaces scales with total parking provided, from one space at 10-25 spaces up to at least eight percent of spaces in lots over 200. EV areas must be well located and lit.
Merced County Code Chapter 9.14 regulates abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles. A vehicle in that condition for more than 10 days is a public nuisance subject to abatement and removal. The Sheriff conducts hearings, and the County may recover removal and administrative costs, under authority of California Vehicle Code Section 22660.
Merced County does not have its own curb-color ordinance; painted curbs in the unincorporated county follow California Vehicle Code Section 21458. Red means no stopping or parking, yellow is for loading freight or passengers, white is brief passenger loading, green is time-limited parking, and blue is reserved for disabled-person vehicles. Only authorized agencies may paint curbs.
Merced County's Unified Development Ordinance requires off-street loading for commercial, mixed-use, and industrial uses. Under Section 18.38.210, such facilities must provide sufficient on-site maneuvering and loading areas per Table 3-14. Where a parcel abuts an alley, loading spaces must adjoin or be accessed directly from the alley.
Merced County does not have a single weight- or length-based oversized-vehicle street ordinance. Heavy commercial vehicles of 10,000 pounds GVWR or more are barred from residential-district streets under Section 11.12.040, recreational vehicles are governed by zoning Section 18.38.120, and other oversized parking issues fall under posted signs and the California Vehicle Code.
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